


Mars. Or, can't we all just get along?

by honeybee592



Series: OTP: Brains, Brawn, and Biotics [1]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-02
Updated: 2014-10-02
Packaged: 2018-02-19 15:40:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2393846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeybee592/pseuds/honeybee592
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James' first mission with Shepard. And Kaidan. On Mars. It's a rough start, but they'll work it out. Trust me.</p><p>Kinda sorta, if you squint and know what's coming, proto-Shenga.</p><p>(I'm cheating here. This is also a chapter in the James and the Giant Reaper stories. Making it a standalone so it can be part of the OTP: Brains, Brawn, and Biotics series.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mars. Or, can't we all just get along?

_Well this is fucking great_. The Reapers were real all right, not that James’d ever doubted Commander Shepard. They were real and they were destroying Earth. And where was he? On Mars looking for paperwork or some shit. The fight was back home, where he should be.

He suppressed his frustration to focus on the present: a Martian storm looming ahead. Massive dirty clouds, whirlwinds of dust and electricity. The sort of shit that jams comms and firing mechanisms.

“Damn, that’s a huge storm.” James said.

“Pretty average for Mars, actually,” Major Alenko replied.

Oh yeah. He’s got Major Killjoy Alenko riding his back too. Not that James wasn’t grateful for the Major getting their asses to the  _Normandy_  in one piece. Dude sure had a way about him though, and that way rubbed James up all wrong.  _Sanctimonious prick._

Commander Shepard lead them down a ledge and up to a dead Alliance marine slumped against a burned out generator. He hadn’t put up a fight: assault rifle still holstered on his back.

“Something isn’t right, here.” James suppressed a shiver.

Alenko scoffs. “What gave that away?”

“Hey, I’m just calling it how I see it.” James tightened his grip on his Avenger.  _Don’t let him get to you._

 “Well, thank you for your input, Corporal Obvious.”

“Shit. I’m not some fresh-faced Corporal,” James argued. “I’m a Lieutenant. I’ve lead my own squad.” T _hat then got killed._

“Boys,” Shepard snapped. She fixed Alenko with a glare. “Back off Kaidan. James knows what he’s doing.” Then she turned to James, shooting him an an apologetic smile.

The trio rounded a corner, heard the pop-pop of lazy gunfire. Quietly, they ducked behind a crate. James peeked out: two people on their knees, hands behind their heads; five guys in heavy armour standing around. One held a pistol to the back of the head of one of the kneelers. A bang, then the body fell to the ground.

“Holy shit, they’re executing them!” James whispered.

“What the hell is going on?” Alenko asked.

Shepard shifted, checking over her rifle. Didn’t seemed at all phased by this shit.

“Gentlemen,” she addressed them. “It’s been a while since I’ve held my baby,” she kissed the barrel of her Mantis, “so go easy on me.”

Her easy demeanour was unsettling. And then Alenko chuckled. With his laugh and Shepard’s grin cutting the tension, James forgot about the execution squad standing just meters away from where the trio huddled.

“Like you could forget.” Kaidan said.

“Yeah, it’s like riding bike.” James added, easing into Shepard’s orbit.

“Never learned.” Shepard replied.

_What?_

“James. Time to see you in action. Been looking forward to it.” Shepard turned and smiled at James. His guts twisted. It may have been a while since he’d last seen combat, but as he crouched shoulder to shoulder with her, adrenaline surging through him, he wanted nothing more than to make Commander Shepard proud.

She turned to the Major, “Kaidan, you know what to do. ” He gave a short nod, silently moved to the side, blue waves rippling over his armour.

Shepard gave her rifle one last check. Eased up on one knee, hoisting her Mantis to her shoulder.

James shifted against the crate. “Uh, do I get any orders, ma’am?”

Shepard stared at him, brows furrowed. “Point the barrel at the enemy and pull the trigger.”

He squirmed under her stare.  _Right. Real helpful._  “I mean, where do you want me?”

“That’s a loaded question, LT.” She smirked. “For now, I trust your ability to not get killed.”

James blushed.  _Dios. Loaded question?_  Shepard was like a mine field and he’d just put his foot in the wrong place. But she  _trusted_  him. He grinned despite himself, snuck over to claim his own cover. He’d shoot his way up, destroying the enemy and anything in his way, clearing the ground for Shepard, and the Major too, he supposed. Then he’d stand victorious, a foot stamped down on an enemy head, Alliance flag fluttering in the breeze—

A bang and a crack snapped him from his dreams of glory. Shepard fired at the executioner. From this distance it looked like her first shot had gone between the eyes.  _Fuck me, that’s some sharp shooting_ _._  Then the Major glowed all blue and another guy fell to the ground. Finally, James swung into action, relishing the opportunity for carnage. He threw all his pent up anger at those fuckers. _That’s for Earth. And that’s for my family._  One soldier crawled toward him, hand outstretched.  _And that’s for Shepard_ , shooting him one last time. But it was over all too soon. He picked his way back up the path to Shepard and Alenko.

Shepard tucked her rifle away, grinning at Alenko and giving him a small shoulder punch. “Just like old times, eh?”

“Just like old times,” the Major repeated.

But his smile didn’t reach his eyes. In fact, his reply bordered on bittersweet. James glanced between the two and just caught Shepard’s shoulders slump slightly before she straightened up.

“Move out,” she ordered.

Hell,  _there’s_ some unresolved history right there. James wasn’t dumb, he’d seen the spark between the two of them back outside the Admiralty Board; didn’t miss Alenko’s sad little whine in answer to James’ questioning. In the rush to get to the  _Normandy_ , then get organised, oriented, and suited before landing on Mars, he hadn’t had a chance to probe for more details. And boy, was he itching for details.

“Cerberus.” Alenko practically spat the word out as they examined the dead troopers. “What the hell are they doing here?”

“Good question,” Shepard said.

“You mean you don’t know?”

“I’m not with them anymore, Kaidan, if that’s what you’re asking.” She tapped the N7 badge over her breast.

“It wasn’t. But you have to admit, it’s a little  _convenient_.”

What the hell was his problem? Shepard had turned herself in, no contact with Cerberus since. The angst coming from Alenko, the way he questioned Shepard had James grinding his teeth. Sure, the Major outranked the Commander, but this was  _her_  mission,  _her_  ship. She took orders direct from Admiral Hackett, not Major Alenko. Not like James took much notice of the chain of command, but he respected Commander Shepard. Unlike Major Killyjoy here.

He gave one of the soldiers a nudge with his boot on his way past. That earned him a scowl from Alenko.  _Fuck him._

As they entered the Mars Archives, pacing the floor of the agonisingly slow elevator, it was clear the Major hadn’t finished his rant.

“Shepard. I need a straight answer,” Alenko started.

 _Here we go_. James watched the two scrap from a respectful distance, trying to piece together Alenko’s beef.

“You of all people should know what I’m about, Kaidan,” Shepard sighed.

Now  _that_  was loaded. The way Alenko’s head bowed and jaw clenched hadn’t escaped James’ notice. The long stares, the starry eyes. James knew that feeling. Had caught himself at it a couple of times while Shepard had been under house arrest. It’d been hard not to. He idolised the woman and actually meeting her, getting to be around her…  _Maybe if the circumstances had been different._   

They continued to bicker as the elevator came to a halt in a hangar bay. Hurried footsteps reverberated through the ducts above them, followed by gunfire. The three of the them raced to cover, firearms at the ready. A vent crashed down and out popped an asari. James watched, rapt, as she flung out a biotic field, capturing the two troopers who’d been hot on her ass. Calmly, she pulled out a pistol and shot them both while they hung in mid-air, their bodies crashing to the ground.

Shepard grinned, walked out into the open. James, unsure whose side anyone was on, drew his Avenger; then promptly stowed it as Shepard eased him back. What the hell had he gotten himself into?

The asari sauntered up, a curl on the edge of her lips. Holy hell, what a beauty.

“Shepard! Thank the goddess you’re alive,” the Asari hugged Shepard, then greeted the Major.

“Liara. Great to see you.” Alenko embraced her too, and the warm smile told James all he need to know.

 _Liara_ _._  That name sounded familiar. James’ mind raced back to a stinking cave on Fehl Prime.  _Protheans… Reaper tech… archaeologists…_  That’s it. She’s the one who’d been in contact after his squad had been sent out to investigate what was jamming their comms. Alien tech, it’d been. Over the long range comms, Liara had mentioned Shepard and Reapers. James’ heart had thumped just a bit harder at the mention of her name. And now he stood right in front of the Prothean expert. Her eyes even more blue in real life.

Shepard, Alenko, and Liara babbled for a minute, catching up, apologising, making up for lost time. He stood back, noting the sad smiles and wistful glances.  _Great. An Old Boys’ club._  Never had he felt more like the new kid. He’d never fit in here. Yeah, he’d catch his ride out as soon as possible. Back to Earth. Back to where he could make a difference.

“When I’d heard the Reapers had hit Earth… I’m sorry.” Liara said. Shepard replied with a half smile.

As Liara explained some shit about the plans they’d been sent to find, a Prothean device or whatever, James watched. Liara spoke excitedly, answering Shepard’s questions, those big blue eyes full of devotion.  _Devotion_ _._  Yeah, that’s what Shepard commanded. Even Alenko was under her spell, though he had a funny way of showing it.

The conversation cut short when behind them the doors thumped and sparked with the attempts of someone trying to break in. James hoisted his Avenger, craving more action.

“Bring it on,” he growled.

“Not this time James.” Shepard flagged him down. “Head back the to the shuttle. Be ready.”

“But—”

“ _Now_ Lieutenant.” Shepard brokered no argument.

 _You fucking kidding me?_ Grinding his teeth, he did what he was told and stalked back to the elevator.

Now he really did feel like the new kid; dumped as soon as someone cooler turned up. He fumed, pacing the elevator floor as it took him back down. He heard the first shots being fired at his Commander and he wasn’t there.  _Just like Fehl Prime_. He stalked his way back over terrain they’d already covered. Gave the dead soldiers a proper good kick this time. Then his stomach churned with regret. His abuela had raised him better than that.

That storm was almost on them now.  _‘Average storm’ my ass_ _._  This was massive. When he got to the shuttle he slumped in the cockpit, dumping his helmet on the seat but restraining himself from punching the wall. He’d get his head back in the right space, close his eyes and count to ten, check in with the Normandy. He swiped his hands over the control panel.

“ _Normandy SR 2_ , this is Lieutenant James Vega. Do you copy?”

“Joker here. Yeah, I copy. But dump the formalities LT, you’re not in Vancouver now. What’s up?” The pilot replied, voice scratchy with static.

A pilot called Joker? And a disregard for regs? _Okay then._  “Uh… Apart from this fucking massive storm and getting shot up by Cerberus, not much.” James liked this guy already.

“Cerberus, huh? Bet Kaidan’s loving that.”

James huffed. “No kidding.”

“Don’t let him get to you. He’s a great guy. Just has some… issues.”

“I’ll take your word on that.”

“Any idea—you’re—there?” Joker’s voice cracked up, static filling the comm.

 _Damnit._  James tried a different channel. No luck. He tried the Shepard.

“Commander, you read me?”

Her voice came back filled with static. Try as he might, he couldn’t get through and he couldn’t get a lock on her position. He thumped the control panel. No, he wouldn’t panic. Shepard’s N7, Alenko’s a Major, and Liara, well, friends of Shepard seemed to know how to take care of themselves.

~~~*~~~

The storm raged around him, rocking the shuttle. James hunched over the controls, flicking through the frequencies, trying to catch a break in the static.  _Might even get some news from Earth._ This was taking too damn long. James shifted in his seat. This sucked. Too much sitting around meant too much time to think. He thought about Shepard, naturally. She’d called the Major by his first name, Kaidan.  _Pretty personal_ _._  But then, she’d always called him James while he’d been her guard. Vega, if she was teasing him; Lieutenant when he pissed her off. Whenever Anderson visited, she called him ‘David’ when she didn’t think James could hear. ‘Anderson’ when she knew he could.  _Never_  Admiral.

Maybe she just didn’t care about regulations or titles since she wasn’t ‘Commander’ any more. But she was Commander again. Dog tags hung around her neck. Her N7 armour fit her like a second skin (and damn if it wasn’t just a little bit sexy). ‘Commander’ fit her like a first name. But the way she’d addressed her crew so far, and the way Joker had just addressed him… Shepard’s crew were her friends; a team who worked together, not a squad who followed blindly. That put Alenko’s attitude into perspective, even if it still pissed James off.

Chin resting on hand he drummed his fingers, listening to the unbreaking static.

“James—” Shepard’s voice called out. “— you read—”

“Commander, come in.” He sat bolt upright, tuning the comm, trying to clean it up.

Static. Dammit!

“—has the data—the Norm—-”

“Commander!”  _Shit_ _._  At least he got a lock on her location: out in the open, on a rooftop. He radioed the Normandy, let Joker know that shit was going down.

“No surprises there.” Joker replied, voice cracking through the static.

Then he pulled up on the thrusters, took off in Shepard’s direction. Spotted a shuttle flying Cerberus colours taking off from the landing pad, bullets pinging off as Shepard fired wildly at it.

“Dammit. James.  _Normandy_. Anybody?” Shepherd’s voice rang clear, breathless, angry.

“I got this one.” He pushed forward with the controls, the shuttle clearly in his sights.

He smashed the Kodiak at full speed into the front corner of the Cerberus shuttle, knocking it off course, sending it careening back toward the rooftop in a cloud of smoke. The collision reverberated through him, but he kept control, pulling away in time to avoid joining the fiery heap. He banked sharply, pulling around, bells blaring, the VI warning him of heavy damage. “Yeah, yeah, I know.”

Down on the ground Shepard waved him over with a curt flick. Maybe a middle finger, too. Shit, she looked pissed. He landed the shuttle with a jolt and a thump, made his way out to assess the damage.

“ _Normandy’s_ en route. They’ll be here soon,” he said, hopping out.

“What the fuck was that?” Shepard stalked up to James.

“I—”

But she was gone, finger jammed in her earpiece, trying to get a clearer read from her comm.  _Can’t do anything right_ _._  He sighed. Then set his shoulders square and followed her at a safe distance.

Alenko had Liara’s arm over his shoulder, leading her away from the flaming debris while she muttered about data. Maybe a mid-air head-on had been a bit too much…

The flaming Cerberus shuttle exploded, door flinging outwards like a piece of paper in the breeze. And out stalked some kind of fembot. Before he knew it, Liara had hit the ground and the mech held Alenko by the helmet.  _Fuck._

Shepard and James drew their weapons on the mech. No clear shot though. Not without the risk of hitting Alenko. And fuck knows what his barriers were like now. Time slowed down as the mech slammed the Major into the wall again and again. Dimly, James heard Shepard’s protests. Then it let go and Alenko slumped to the ground.

The rapid fire of Shepard’s pistol snapped James back to reality. It crumpled in a heap at Shepard’s feet. Her eyes flicked from the mech to Alenko’s prone body.

“Grab that thing. Take it with us,” she yelled.

James did as he was told, hauling the mech over his shoulder. Shepard’s voice came in low through his comm; she kept saying ‘Kaidan’, getting more and more desperate each time she repeated the two syllables. He looked back and saw her heave the Major over her shoulder.

“Shepard, we’ve got Reaper signatures in orbit.” Joker’s voice rang out, the  _Normandy_  easing down with the shuttle bay door opening.

 _Fantastic_ _._  Like today couldn’t get any worse.

James held a hand out for Liara. She looked bad, but at least she was conscious. She wasn’t even wearing proper armour, only had a breather. Shit, Shepard sure knew how to pick them. He made his way up the ramp as the first Reapers descended in the distance.

~~~*~~~

Not knowing any better and having no orders otherwise, James followed Shepard up to the med bay, both burdened by their loads. Shepard gently lay Alenko down on a cot. James dumped his mech on an opposite bed. He stood back and watched Shepard stare at Alenko, their faces both smudged with sweat and dust. Shepard obviously cared for him. Maybe what was good enough for her could be good enough for James, too.

Liara leant over the Major, catching Shepard’s eye.

“Kaidan needs medical attention. We have to leave the Sol System,” she said.

That snapped Shepard out of it. She straightened, her pupils like pinpricks and her face a mask.

“Get us to the Citadel, Joker.”

A female voice rang over the comm, orders requiring Shepard’s immediate attention. With one last glance at Alenko, Shepard jogged out with Liara close behind.

James stood alone in the Med bay. He ran a hand through his hair, popped the pressure seals on his armour. His body felt heavy, dirty. The exhaustion hit him and his stomach growled. New priority mission: shower and food.

“Welcome to the  _Normandy_ _._ ” He said to himself, shaking his head as he wandered out.


End file.
